World Rugby Nations Cup – Canada vs Spain – ARN Guide

Canada’s first test in the freshly-established World Rugby Nations Cup will be a familiar opponent. The Maple Leafs square off against Spain at the very same Edmonton venue where they danced just a year ago. On that occasion Los Leones were winners, but only just – it took a last-gasp penalty goal to deny the Canadians a win on home soil.

FORM GUIDE

Current World Ranking: 25 (58.75 points)
2025-11-22 – Portugal 33, Canada 27 (Coimbra)
2025-11-15 – Georgia 38, Canada 17 (Batumi)
2025-11-08 – Romania 31, Canada 21 (Bucharest)
2025-09-20 – Canada 24, Tonga 35 (Salt Lake City)
2025-09-14 – Canada 10, Fiji 63 (Denver)

Current World Ranking: 17 (67.51 points)
2026-03-15 – Spain 29, Romania 23 (Madrid)
2026-03-08 – Portugal 26, Spain 7 (Lisbon)
2026-02-21 – Georgia 42, Spain 30 (Tbilisi)
2026-02-14 – Spain 53, Switzerland 14 (Palencia)
2026-02-07 – Netherlands 33, Spain 51 (Amsterdam)

STARTING LINEUP CHANGES

	IN	OUT
1	Cali Martinez	Sam Miller
2	Andrew Quattrin	Dewald Kotze
3	Cole Keith	Matt Tierney
8	Tyler Ardron	Matthew Oworu
9	Jason Higgins	Brock Gallagher
11	Noah Flesch	Nic Benn
12	Josh McIndoe	Morgan Di Nardo
15	Peter Nelson	Robbie Povey

	IN	OUT
1	Thierry Futeu	Hugo Pirlet
2	Santiago Ovejero	Álvaro García
5	Antonio Suárez	Mathéo Triki
7	Vicente Boronat	Álex Saleta
8	Ekain Imaz	Raphaël Nieto
10	Gonzalo López	Lucien Richardis
11	Alberto Carmona	Alejandro Laforga
14	Gauthier Minguillón	Iñaki Mateu

NOTES

• Andrew Quattrin leads Canada for the first time in his 30th test, stepping into the captaincy despite the presence of regular skipper Lucas Rumball in the lineup… it’s likely a temporary reassignment, with Rumball unavailable for the third test in the series
• former captain Tyler Ardron wins his 40th cap… the now-former Castres back row returns for the first time since his stunning 4-try performance that propelled Canada to victory over the USA and earning a spot at RWC 2027
• Josh McIndoe and Daragh Doyle are set to debut after impressing with the u20 side last year… McIndoe gets the start at inside centre and second row Doyle is named on the bench… Doyle is from Quebec but currently plays his club rugby for Clontarf in Ireland… 23-year-old Jacob Ince, also primarily an inside centre, is also in line for a first test cap
• Evan Olmstead misses the game after arriving to camp late… the veteran lock is expected to be available for next week’s test against Portugal
• with several backline players unavailable for Canada – most notably Chicago Hounds star Brock Webster – there are makeshift wingers in Noah Flesch and Kyle Tremblay… both players are typically found in the midfield
• Spain had mixed results in the Rugby Europe Championship, finishing third out of eight teams
• Pablo Bouza has opted to name hooker Álvaro García and flanker Manex Ariceta on the bench… both play for Top 14 clubs and are typically first choice players for Spain
• other notables missing for the Leones are Toulouse pair Joel Markler and Lucien Richardis, back row Raphaël Nieto, and Stade Français wing or centre Samu Ezeala
• Martiniano Cian is deployed in the midfield for the first time at test level… Cian is known for his electric footwork on the wing, but will concede significant size to Canada’s midfield
• outside back Jaime Manteca could make his test debut after impressing on the World Sevens circuit

QUOTES

Steve Meehan (Head Coach)

“We had a really productive week in camp. We gradually ramped up training, focused on the key skills we believe are required, and everybody put their heads down and worked hard. One of our focuses this year is to test different approaches across these three blocks so we know exactly what works for this squad heading into next year. We’ve made good progress already, and bringing more players into the environment is creating healthy competition for spots.

“Spain are a clever, opportunistic team with players who can spot and take chances. They’re not conservative, so they keep you on your toes defensively. We expect another strong battle like last year, which was an exciting game for the neutral. There’s always a bit of theatre in matches like that, but we know where we need to improve and we’re focused on delivering a high standard.”

PREDICTION

The skies are slightly unpredictable with a risk of a thunderstorm on the forecast. Canada might be hoping for a spot of rain to slow down the Spanish backs. There is a clear advantage for the Leones in the speed department, but the Maple Leafs are bigger and have a physical starting pack. Expect the game to be close at the hour mark but the visitors have more firepower to call on from the bench. Spain are favorites on the road in Edmonton.

TEAMS

CANADA
1 Cali Martinez, 2 Andrew Quattrin (capt.), 3 Cole Keith, 4 Piers von Dadelszen, 5 Izzak Kelly, 6 Mason Flesch, 7 Lucas Rumball, 8 Tyler Ardron, 9 Jason Higgins, 10 Cooper Coats, 11 Noah Flesch, 12 Josh McIndoe, 13 Spencer Jones, 14 Kyle Tremblay, 15 Peter Nelson

Replacements: 16 Dewald Kotze, 17 Sam Miller, 18 Kyle Steeves, 19 Daragh Doyle, 20 Sion Parry, 21 Brock Gallagher, 22 Jacob Ince, 23 Takoda McMullin

SPAIN
1 Thierry Futeu, 2 Santiago Ovejero, 3 Jon Zabala (capt.), 4 Matt Foulds, 5 Antonio Suárez, 6 Ignacio Piñeiro, 7 Vicente Boronat, 8 Ekain Imaz, 9 Tani Bay, 10 Gonzalo López, 11 Alberto Carmona, 12 Álvar Gimeno, 13 Martiniano Cian, 14 Gauthier Minguillón, 15 JW Bell

Replacements: 16 Álvaro García, 17 Luca Tabarot, 18 Hugo Pirlet, 19 Imanol Urraza, 20 Manex Ariceta, 21 Kerman Aurrekoetxea, 22 Iñaki Mateu, 23 Jaime Manteca

MATCH INFO

Date: Saturday, July 4
Venue: Clarke Stadium, Edmonton
Kickoff: 19:00 local (18:00 Pacific, 21:00 Eastern, Sunday 03:00 Spain)
Weather Forecast: risk of a thunderstorm, 66°F (19°C), wind NW 7-11 mph (12-18 km/h)
Broadcasts: TSN 1 (Canada), RugbyPass TV

OFFICIALS

Referee: Tomás Bertazza (Argentina)
Assistants: Mike Lawrenson (USA) & Derek Summers (USA)
TMO: Dan Jones (England)

HISTORY

HEAD-TO-HEAD (5): Spain 3, Canada 2
2025-07-18 – Canada 23, Spain 24 (Edmonton)
2023-11-11 – Spain 42, Canada 20 (Villajoyosa)
2022-07-10 – Canada 34, Spain 57 (Ottawa)
2017-11-18 – Spain 27, Canada 37 (Madrid)
2010-11-13 – Spain 22, Canada 60 (Madrid)